Dawn's Diary
by Dear Rosie
Summary: In which Brock and Ash decide to give their blue-haired friend a little help with her love life. Includes insanity, meddling, a sneaky Ash and Brock, and Paul x Dawn.
1. Chapter 1

My first fanfiction here!

Quick summary: Brock finds Dawn's diary and begins to read it. He discovers all kinds of things about her contests-and who she likes!

Hope you guys like it :)

* * *

~Dawn's Diary~

Brock was cleaning up the supplies so he, Ash, and Dawn could pack up camp and get a move on to the next town. Ash and Dawn were busy training for Ash's next Gym battle.

When Brock picked up Dawn's sleeping bag, a pink book covered in hearts and smiley faces tumbled out. Brock bent over and picked it up. It was Dawn's diary. And he knew what that meant-the place where she wrote her personal thoughts and feelings.

Should he read it? No that would be wrong.

Then again, Dawn was busy training with Ash.

She would never have to know.

Brock gave in to curiosity and opened the pink book to the first page. Invasion of privacy? Yes. Fascinating? Very much so.

_Hello Diary!_

_I'm Dawn! I left home for the first time today, and I'm on my way to being a Pokémon Coordinator. _

_A lot of stuff happened today. First, I got my own Piplup! Well actually, first I went to Professor Rowan's lab. Then I had to go find the Piplup and a Chimchar. Finding Piplup was a real adventure. We got chased by some Ariados through the forest and then we saw a mysterious Pokémon in the lake._

_I met a lost Pikachu, who ended up belonging to this kid named Ash. He's really nice, and now I'm traveling with him and this other boy named Brock. Brock is a lot older than me. Ash is not as much older, but still older. I'm only 10._

_I was trying to catch Pikachu, but it didn't work. That made for my third failed catch that day! But it turns out that it didn't work since Pikachu already belongs to someone. It would've been wrong of me to catch it._

_Anyway, these bad guys were chasing after Pikachu. Pikachu, Piplup and I were trying to fight them off when Ash found us. He climbed on the giant robot that the bad guys had and freaked me out! And then after fighting them Pikachu used Thunderbolt on the bad guys to send them flying into the sky! It was SO cool!_

_So I got Pikachu back to Ash and Professor Rowan was with us. Ash called his mom and Professor Oak and I actually got to talk to a Pokémon poet! Then Ash put on some new clothes since his old ones were messy due to an explosion when he sent the bad guys blasting off._

_And all seemed fine until we went outside. There was this guy-Paul, if I'm getting his name right-waiting for Ash they had a battle and I sided with Ash, but only because I knew him better. It ended in a tie. I kinda wish someone would have won, even if it wasn't Ash._

_Don't tell anyone (of course you can't, you're a book), but that guy that battled Ash was kinda cute…_

Well the book sure told Brock.

* * *

So that's the first chapter! I'll try to have the next one up before the week's over.

-xxGlassRose :)


	2. Chapter 2

Finally, the next chapter up! Sorry it took me so long, I've been working on other stories. Please review!

-xxGlassRose

* * *

~Dawn's Diary, Chapter Two~

That night, Dawn cracked open her diary and began to write. She sat up in her sleeping bag and scribbled quickly. But not without Brock watching her movements.

When Dawn rolled over and went to sleep, Brock tiptoed over. He stopped as he got closer, hoping not to be heard. The flames licked her delicate face and she looked so calm. The diary was placed right next to her body with her hand on top of it, and Brock wasn't exactly sure how to get the book.

The only way to take the diary would be to snatch it quickly. Closer, closer.. and there! He had it! Dawn rolled over but didn't wake up, to Brock's relief.

He ran back over to his sleeping bag and moved himself so he could use the flames of the fire for reading light.

Was it still wrong? Yes. Could he resist? No.

He flipped open a few pages past the first one, and recognized one entry being from the day the group was in the Bewilder Forest. What a day.

_Dear Diary,_

_Okay, so I had to write down what happened today. I was overjoyed, scared to death, and pretty close to death, I'm sure. _

_So we were headed to Jubilife City. And we still are. It feels like we'll never get there. But guess who we found? Paul , _

_of all people! He was going to battle Ash when Team Rocket came and wrecked it. Pikachu sent them blasting off, but the force from the blast sent Ash and Paul hurtling over the cliff! I almost died from a heart attack, my first near-death experience for the day. Paul went from branch to branch of this tree along the cliff so he could make it to the bottom, which was very impressive. But Ash just fell into the water. I felt sorry for him, yet embarrassed by him at the same time. I guess there's just nothing you can do about these things, eh?_

_Brock and I wandered around for what felt like hours before we found Ash. Unfortunately, he was being chased by angry Beedrill! And when we got rid of the Beedrill, an Ursaring was after us! That was the second time I almost died! We ran into Paul, and he caught the Ursaring, thank goodness. My hero! Haha! Ash said that Paul wouldn't keep the Ursaring, but he was wrong. I think Ash is judging him too hard. _

Brock smiled. He'd had no idea that this was the way Dawn felt! He couldn't wait to see what else she'd write, but he tucked the diary back by Dawn and went to bed.

The next morning, Ash and Dawn decided to go train again, so Brock took another peek at the diary. It was like a soap opera in real life, and he couldn't wait for the next episode.

He selected a random page and cracked it open. He was surprised that the whole page was dedicated to two words, but more surprised by what those two words were. The page, adorned by hearts and smiley faces, read,

_Dawn + Paul._

Brock slammed the book shut. There was too much drama in this soap opera. And he'd have to go back and watch some older episodes.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I keep you waiting long enough! (About 2 Weeks) *is shot by readers*  
So here is the next chapter of Dawn's Diary!  
It's based on DP015 and the begining of DP016, and all you hard-core Ikaris know what that means!  
If you don't know... well I won't spoil it for you. x3

Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated. :3

* * *

~Dawn's Diary, Chapter Three~

"So that's what it's like being in a Pokémon Contest!" Brock said. "I never knew it could be so emotional! This is the best soap opera ever!"

Ash and Dawn had gone to sleep earlier. Brock had gone into the bathroom of their Pokémon Center room to read without them knowing. Taking the diary out of Dawn's bag was easy, much easier than what he had to do to get it sometimes.

Flipping through his new favorite book, he found a page he had been wondering about - that day back in the Oreburgh Gym.

It was quite the day. First, the trio had arrived in the city, then headed over to the Gym. There, they were informed that the Gym Leader was out. So then, they went to the coal mines to find Roark. Things could not progress, however, due to the fact that there was apparently a queue at the Gym. Paul was up first. The battle was interesting, but what happened afterward was much more so.

_Dear Diary,_

_I am SO conflicted right now! Half of me wants to scream in happiness and the other wants to scream in anger!_

_So I was really excited because we got to see Paul's Gym battle against the Gym Leader Roark! I was really excited, because I had never seen a Gym battle before this! When Ash and Brock wanted to see Paul battle, it seemed like he was annoyed. But when I said I wanted to watch (because I really did!) he said that it was no problem! I was really happy. I have to say, I'm a bit of a fan of Paul right now - or more like was._

_The battle was awesome! Paul won, but I expected that after the way he beat Ash last time they battled._

_What made me want to scream was when Ash asked Paul if he was going to stay to watch his own battle against Roark. I don't know why Ash had to start something. He could have just left it alone and everything would have been fine._

_But sadly, things did not play out that way._

_I'll never forget those words; I know them backwards and forwards. They will probably be in my mind for a while, and I'll feel like punching something every time I think of them._

_Pikachu and I jumped right in between them right as Ash was getting all riled up. I said,_

"_Alright, time out!" Then I turned to Paul. "You've already battled Ash once. Why not stay and watch?"_

_After telling them to knock it off, I saw Paul staring at me. My heart was beating like crazy hard and I don't know how I kept my cool. Then I said, _

"_What's wrong?" like a nice caring person! But what did I get? I got,_

"_What's wrong? Who are you?" I know he did not just forget me! I was ready to explode! So I said angrily,_

"_Well__, __excuse me, your rudeness, but we've met once before! The name's Dawn!" And he said,_

_"Don't remember." And that set me off. _

_"YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY, DON'T YOU?" I screamed. Then I hurled a few insults at him. I really did explode. I said,_

_"Listen, mister! You nasty, insulting, spoiled brat! Apologize!" I was about to do a Tackle attack myself on the guy! He did NOT forget me! I was so crazy mad! I would have shown him what for if it weren't for Brock holding me back!_

And Brock sure was glad he did.

_I wanted Paul to say he was sorry for forgetting me. But he didn't even seem fazed by what I did. _

_I think that's what hurt the most. The fact that after all I said, after all I did, after all the blowing up I did, he hardly acknowledged me. _

_What would have hurt him the most was what I was planning to do to his face._


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! I updated! I had MAJOR writers' block for this story. =-=  
But anyway, the new chapter is here! It was going to be longer, but I think the plan I had will work better with the next chapter.

Enjoy~!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~Dawn's Diary, Chapter Four~

_Today, Ash lost his Gym Battle against Roark. But that's not how things started._

_We were hanging around the Pokémon Center, and Ash was trying to figure out which of his Pokémon would be best for the battle. He chose Turtwig because it's a Grass type, Aipom for her Focus Punch, and Pikachu for his Iron Tail. That made Staravia pretty upset, and Brock said that was because it really likes battles._

_When we were calming down Staravia, Paul came over. He said if Ash wanted to win the battle, Ash should just do what he did. Ash got mad and told Paul that he'd never treat his Pokémon the way Paul did. I was seriously hoping I wouldn't have to break up another fight._

_Then a little boy came over and thanked Paul for an Azumarill. I guess I forgot to talk much about Paul's battle itself yesterday. He used Elekid, Chimchar and Azumarill, but Azumarill lost real easy and he was mad at it. I was surprised that he gave it away._

_Ash was more than surprised. He was infuriated. He gave the friendship talk again, and Paul said that Azumarill wasn't going to get any better. In a way, I was happy he gave Azumarill away. It would probably be much happier with an upbeat kid than it would be if it stayed with its Trainer. So I thought it wasn't so bad. _

_Ash vowed never to lose to Paul again. In a way, I was right behind him. But I still had this sinking feeling that Ash hadn't lost to Paul for the last time. _

_As Paul left the center, I sighed, accepting the fact that there are just different types of Trainers. No training regime is perfect; in fact, if you pulled some things out of Ash's and some things out of Paul's, you probably could find the perfect one. I have to keep that in mind for my own training. But I still couldn't help wondering what Elekid and Chimchar think of Paul._

_When the battle started, Paul was there. I was happy he came, and so was Ash, I guess, since he said he'd show Paul some "real battling."_

_Roark sent out Cranidos first. I was pretty surprised, since Cranidos was last in Paul's battle. Ash sent out Aipom first and started off with a Focus Punch while Aipom was spinning in the air. But Cranidos did a Headbutt, slamming Aipom in the stomach. When they fell to the ground, Cranidos used Flamethrower but Aipom dodged with Double Team. Aipon and Cranidos collided, using Focus Punch and Zen Headbutt. But Aipom flew into Ash's arms and was unable to battle. _

_Next, Pikachu was up, but appeared to be losing after some powerful attacks from Cranidos. And because of that, Paul stood up to leave. I was a bit frustrated. He was not leaving Ash's battle! He would stay!_

_He did stay, even though I'm not exactly sure what made him decide to._

_After a Head Smash attack, Ash took back Pikachu and sent out Turtwig. Its Razor Leaf attack was swallowed up by a Flamethrower. After more sparring, Turtwig won with a Razor Leaf attack._

_Next Roark sent out Onix. Onix knocked Turtwig out right away with a Double Edge. Ash was forced to use Pikachu again. They struck Onix with a good Quick Attack, but Onix used Screech to send Pikachu flying straight for some rocks, knocking him out._

_I'm not sure where Paul went afterward, but I know good and well that we haven't seen the last of him._

Brock swiftly shut the book. He was supposed to have been cooking dinner, but had gotten distracted! Ash and Dawn would be back with that firewood any minute now.

"Well, I guess that's just the price I pay!" said Brock as he scrambled to put together a stew.


	5. Chapter 5

Ugh. It took me forever to get around to writing this (writing it wasn't hard). I'm so incredibly lazy when it comes to this story. I glad for my readers and reviewers. They're the only thing that keeps me from dropping this. =.=

Despite my annoyed little rant there, enjoy the story!  
-RD/xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~Dawn's Diary, Chapter Five~

_Today we went fishing at a river near Eterna City. We were looking for a Buizel that was rumored to be in the area, and we wanted to see if we could find it. It started out pretty calm. _

_Ash showed me this lure that looked like a girl, and said he got it from his friend, Misty. According to Brock, she's the Gym Leader in Cerulean City. I wanted to use it, but NO! Ash says I can't. And he couldn't even come up with a good reason either. He wouldn't even let me when I started yanking on his rod! Does he have a crush on this girl or something? Sheesh._

Brock laughed upon reading this. He had always wondered the same thing.

He turned a few more pages until he found another interesting entry.

_I saw Paul again today. We were watching a battle between the Elite Four Champion, Cynthia, and Elite Four Member Lucian on a TV in the Pokémon Center. Some people were talking about Cynthia being in Hearthome City's Amity Square, so we headed down there as fast as we could, hoping we could see her. Soon, we saw Paul standing in the crowd. Then he did the craziest thing ever! He challenged Cynthia to a battle! I was pretty shocked. I mean, Paul's a good Trainer and all but there's no possible way he can beat the Champion of the Sinnoh region. Not at this point, at least._

_It was a fast battle. Paul backed out after four of his Pokémon got crushed just by Cynthia's Garchomp! I guess that's what it means to be Champion of the Pokémon League. You've got to have serious skill to back up that title. _

_We all went to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy had to operate on a Pokémon, so Cynthia decided to treat Paul's Pokémon herself. Brock volunteered to help her._

_Cynthia told Paul that all his Pokémon were well trained, especially Torterra. Paul said that was because Torterra was his first Pokémon. I was impressed. It did battle well. Paul then said that he'd traveled all over Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn before coming back to Sinnoh. I think he's more like Ash than he admits. Then, Cynthia said something nice about Chimchar, but Paul just pointed out how badly his Pokémon did in battle. Ash said Paul didn't care how many of his Pokémon got hurt in that match. Paul seemed indifferent and Ash asked why. Paul said his Pokémon would get spoiled and not do well in battle, and Chimchar was an example of this. Ash just got angrier and talked about how we need to support our Pokémon. _

_Because of Ash and Paul's argument, Cynthia took us all back to a stone tablet in Amity Square, saying that before she read it, she used to train a lot, but then she realized that all Pokémon are different and she wanted to get to know them._

_When we were going back to the Center, we saw none other than Team Rocket with Paul's injured Chimchar! We chased them but they began to get in that stupid balloon of theirs. Luckily, Paul thought fast and called out his Ursaring, who used Hyper Beam to send Team Rocket blasting off again!_

_But then, Paul called Chimchar "useless" for getting caught. I told him that it wasn't Chimchar's fault-the Pokémon was sleeping! But Cynthia said that the only thing that mattered was that Chimchar was okay. And I had to agree._

_So that was today. I'm going to go to sleep before Ash or Brock sees me writing. If one of them read this, I'd just about die._

Brock felt a large pang of guilt as he sincerely hoped Dawn wouldn't die.


	6. Chapter 6

Boosh-cha! It's update time! I've published five one-shots since the last chapter and I was like "Hmm... I think I need to update this story now." xD I love this chapter, I think's it's one of my better ones. :)  
Oh, and the genre of the story has changed too. :)

Enjoy~!  
-xxGlassRose :D

* * *

~Dawn's Diary, Chapter Six~

_Man, Team Rocket gets on my nerves. This morning, I was racing to a Pokémon Center to get a new application for my Pokétch. Sounds simple, right? WRONG! It was super crazy and complicated, all thanks to Team Rocket._

_So we were running to a Pokémon Center, like I said. But when we got there, we found out that it was the other Pokémon Center across the forest giving the Pokétch applications out. And the giveaway was ending soon. Great._

_We wanted to get to the other Center ASAP, so when these people told us we could take a shortcut through a cave with a maze at the end, I was happy. But there was a map we would need to get through the maze, and to get it, we had to take a group photo with all of our Pokémon. I should have known by then that it was a class B Team Rocket scam. But even before they could try to pull anything, this big bunch of Graveler and Golem rolled through and we all got split up!_

_So this day kept getting crazier. I was able to find Croagunk, and together we got out of the cave. It was really dark in there. When we got out, lo and behold, it was Paul! When he saw me, he was like "Not you too." So I asked him if he had seen Ash or Brock and he said no! What did he mean 'me too' if he hadn't seen them? I said "Well, excuse me for living!" and walked away. That frustrating jerk._

_Anyway, I almost got squished by an Onix, but Croagunk saved me. It was pretty cool. I was pushed into a crack in the wall that it made with a Brick Break attack. Eventually we found Brock and some of the other Pokémon thanks to Ash's Staravia. But then it got kidnapped! We had to break holes in the wall to stop Team Rocket and eventually send them blasting off._

_In the end, I did get my Coin Flip application, and we used it to decide which path we should take to Hearthome City! It's so cool. But getting it would have been a lot easier if it hadn't been for Team Rocket._


	7. Chapter 7

My reviewers will be glad to know that the reviews spurred me to write a new chapter today! Like seriously, I was reading them, and then I decided to write this. Actually, I started it a while ago, but that was only like two sentences so that doesn't count.  
There's a funny scene in here, haha. xD

Enjoy the chapter!  
-xxGlassRose :)

* * *

~Dawn's Diary, Chapter Seven~

_My heart broke today._

_Really, it did. So did my dreams. And right now, I'm wondering if I was ever cut out for Coordinating in the first place. _

_I entered the Hearthome City Contest, and at first, things were looking pretty great! Then I didn't even make it to the second round. What did I do wrong? _

_Okay, let me start over._

_Like I said, I entered the Hearthome City Pokémon Contest. It was a double performance and I felt pretty good about it, even though there were a lot of good Coordinators taking the stage. Nando did pretty well too. When I went on, I used Piplup and Pachirisu. It was a good routine! I used Sweet Kiss and Bubble Beam to trap the hearts in bubbles. Then Pachirisu used Discharge on Piplup's Whirlpool and it exploded in a bunch of sparkles. Cool, right?_

_Zoey and Jessilina did really well in the Contest, but Jessilina's act was kinda weird. And her act beat me! She got into the next round and I didn't. _

_I was so upset that I ran out of the room and just screamed like crazy. I was miserable._

_Nando and Zoey ended up going at it in the last round. In the end, it was Nando who took the ribbon. It's his second, I think. I'm happy for him, but still…_

Brock made a sad face. He didn't like reading about how miserable Dawn was back then. He could almost hear her voice as he flipped through the pages.

Wait. That _was_ her voice!

Brock stuffed the diary in Dawn's sleeping bag and prayed to God above that she wouldn't notice.

"Hey, Brock!" the cheery blue-haired girl greeted. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing. Just organizing some stuff!" Brock seemed weird to Dawn, but then again, when wasn't he?

"Well, that's cool! If you're organizing, you wouldn't have happened to have seen," Dawn noticed the corner of a pink book peeking out of her sleeping bag and picked it up. "There it is!" Suddenly embarrassed that this was her diary she was talking about, she hid the book behind her back and ran off after a quick "See you later, Brock!"

Brock slumped down on the ground.

"Man, that was a close one."

The next night, Brock was reading his favorite soap opera once again.

_Today, the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament began. Ash and Brock convinced me to enter, but Zoey was the one who suggested it. My partner was this guy named Conway. He seems really smart and talented! I can't wait to battle with him. Brock got this pretty girl named Holly._

Upon reading Holly's name, Brock sighed in happiness.

_And Ash got Paul, of all people! They're going to have a hard time getting along, which is what Brock and Conway think will keep them from winning. This is a competition about people working together with their Pokémon._

_Conway and I went up first and we killed it! Brock and Holly won too! Brock finally stopped hitting on her, but when he did, she started hitting on him! And to think that she was the one who rejected him before their battle! I think that they really make a great couple._

Brock had had no idea Dawn wrote things like this about him.

_Ash and Paul won, but their sync was… not sync at all, really. They argued and it practically messed up their chances. I guess since they're both such powerful Trainers, they were still able to win. Paul also needs to not put Ash's Pokémon in danger. Paul may be really tough and capable, but you can't win a double battle with one Pokémon. I hope they can get along. I'd hate for the two of them to lose due to their petty fighting._

* * *

Brock almost got caught! xD That's what I meant by funny scene, lol.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, before you say anything, I have some things to say!

I know I'm a bad author for not updating this for almost three months. I'm sorry!  
I know these chapters are short and should be easy to write.  
I know I probably should've written a longer chapter to make it up to you guys. I know, okay?

So no flames, please.

Anyway, this diary entry is a continuation of the last one. It takes place on the same day.

Enjoy!  
-RD :)

P.S. Happy Ikarishipping Day! :D

* * *

~Dawn's Diary, Chapter Eight~

_After the battles, Conway and I were talking at the Pokémon Center. He was saying something about how a strong relationship increases a Pokémon's power. I wasn't exactly sure, so I said, "Sounds great! Though I don't have much of a clue what you just said." I asked him if it was what I thought it was, and he said yes! So that means my Pokémon will only get better as our relationship gets better! And Conway says it applies to Contests too! That cheered me up some right there. Maybe there's still hope for me._

_I decided it would be cool to tell Ash about it, so I ran out of the center. When I found him, he wasn't alone. He was arguing with Paul again! I began to listen to their conversation._

"_I still don't understand why you entered this thing!" Ash yelled._

"_You wouldn't." Paul had his arms crossed. "It's a good chance to get my Pokémon used to some real combat."_

"_What do you mean?" I yelled. "Don't you think you're being a little rude to the other Trainers and Pokémon in the Tag Battle?"_

"_Hmph. I needed Chimchar to be struck by the Surf in our match today, get it?" Ash and I gasped._

"_But what if Chimchar would've lost?" Ash asked._

"_Then Chimchar would be useless." I could see the sadness in the poor thing's eyes. No Pokémon should have to go through this!_

"_Paul, if you want to make Chimchar stronger, you gotta work on improving its strong points," said Ash._

"_Oh, please! Spending a second on improving a Pokémon's strong points is like babying a spoiled brat. And a complete waste of my time, see?" I could not BELIEVE this guy! How could he say something like that about Chimchar? Conway's words came back to me. Pokémon get stronger by building relationships, too. Not just super training. If Paul couldn't see that, I knew Ash and I would eventually have to teach that to him. _

"_I assume you treat all your Pokémon that way?" I asked, hands on my hips._

_And then Paul said something that surprised us both. "No. This is exactly what Chimchar wants." And once again, we gasped._

"_Chimchar, is that true?" asked Ash. Chimchar nodded. "Chimchar, there are other ways to get stronger! You don't have to do it the hard way, you know." Paul began to walk away, telling Chimchar not to listen to us. Even though Chimchar looked pretty sad, it turned around and walked away._

"_Poor thing. Chimchar looks so sad."_

_Ash and I went after Paul. Elekid was about to fire a Thunder attack, but Pikachu stopped it with a Volt Tackle. We showed up, told Paul that he'd done more than enough training, and said we were taking Chimchar to the Pokémon Center right away. Surprisingly, he allowed us! I guess he's not 100% heartless._

_We watched Brock treat Chimchar. Holly told us that he was helping Nurse Joy out, and said that at first she thought he was just flirting with her, which apparently made Holly jealous or something. I told her how great a friend he is, and she said that with him as her tag team partner, there was no way they could lose. Of course, Ash said he's not so sure about that. And I plan on winning, too!_

_We went to the Pokémon Center lobby and confronted Paul there. Well, Brock did most of the confronting. Brock told Paul the high stakes of his training and asked why Paul needed to push so hard. _

_He said, "Believe it or not, we all want the same thing. I mean it."_

"_I don't get it," said Ash. Paul then told us the story of how he met Chimchar. He was in the woods, catching a Ninjask, when he saw Chimchar being chased by a bunch of wild Zangoose. The Zangoose were attacking Chimchar, until they cornered it on a cliff. Chimchar apparently went berserk, using a super-powerful Flame Wheel that hit all the Zangoose! Paul said that after seeing that power, he knew that he just had to have Chimchar and he asked it to join him. And ever since that day, they've been trying to recreate that power, but they haven't been able to do it._

_Paul said that he still wanted to train, but Brock, Ash and I said it was a bad idea and that Chimchar needs to rest. Then Nurse Joy showed up and convinced him. I'm so glad she did. Who knows what would've happened otherwise!_

Brock shuddered a bit, recounting that day. It certainly wasn't one he liked to remember that much. It was such a crazy point in their lives. And Chimchar had essentially been the fuel in Ash and Paul's heated - no pun intended - rivalry. Since Chimchar had switched sides and gone with Ash, Ash had something new to prove to Paul: he could be a better Trainer. Brock figured that Ash was right, considering that Chimchar had evolved all the way to Infernape. But Ash had yet to defeat Paul in a battle.

Who knows? Only time will tell…

* * *

Ooh, mysterious! xD Hopefully I won't take forever next time, haha. Thanks to all who read and review! It really means a lot. :)


	9. Chapter 9

New chapter! Short, but it's very important. Mostly because of the author's note at the end.

It's episode 52, and I skipped the end of 51. But we NEED to get past this tournament and on to bigger and better things!

Enjoy! And read the note at the end!  
-RD :)

* * *

_Ash kneeled down to Chimchar. I couldn't believe it! Was he really asking Chimchar to join his team?_

_Paul made some snappy remark, probably still mad at Chimchar for losing that battle. But can you blame Chimchar? He was going up against his worst fear! Paul was pushing his Pokémon way too hard!_

_Just when Chimchar was about to make up his mind, he and Ash were attacked! We turned around to see Team Rocket! How come they always have to come and ruin everything? One of their crazy mechanical arms grabbed Chimchar and I freaked out. _

_Ash ran after Chimchar, who tried to escape by firing Flamethrower attacks. It made Chimchar fall, but Ash caught him! And Chimchar joined Ash! Yay!_

_Later, Ash called Professor Oak! And he said a POEM! I was so happy!_

_Well, se ya later, Diary._

Brock flipped the page and frowned when he realized what day it was. Dawn had written about that battle he lost!

_Guess what, Diary! The Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament is over! Me and Conway got to the finals!_

_And then we lost. _

_Oh well. Guess who won. Ash and Paul! What a huge surprise! We lost to them in the finals. Isn't that like totally insane? Brock and Holly lost in the semi-finals. Ash and Paul beat them, too. Well, mostly Paul, 'cause Ash's Staravia never really got a chance to get in on the action. That battle was over as quickly as it started. _

_Conway did really well in the final! His Heracross is amazing! We fought very hard, but we lost in the end. But that's okay. _

_Paul gave Ash his Soothe Bell. I wonder why he entered the contest in the first place if he didn't even want the prize. But Ash just gave me Paul's Soothe Bell! It makes such a pretty sound and I just love it!_

_I'm SUPER tired, Diary, so I'll tell you more stuff later, okay?_

* * *

Alrighty, guys, I've figured out why the fic is so darn hard for me to write: I know NOTHING about the DP series! *shot*  
Truthfully, I haven't seen most of it. But that's where you guys come in! You guys are going to suggest episodes for me to watch and wriyte about! I'll be able to get chapters up much quicker that way.

So, without further ado, here is the episode suggestion form! Copy and paste it if needed, but take out the parts in parentheses if you do.

Episode Suggestion  
Episode Number: (for example, this one was DP52. Put it like that  
Episode Name: (In English, please)  
Synopsis: (A brief description of what happens. Like 2-3 scentences)  
Pairing: (You don't have to put this part in, but if there's a featured pairing in the episode, put it here)

Use the form or I won't do the episode! And just because you submit it doesn't mean I'll actually use the episode or write about the pairing you want. I'm the author and I reserve that right. I have shipping preferences and I intend to stick with those.

I also accept anonymous reviews, so you can suggest an episode even if you don't have an acoount. Just hit the "review" button at the bottom. :)

So the most important rules: SUGGEST IN A REVIEW AND USE THE FORM!


	10. Chapter 10

**PLEASE READ v**

Guess what, everyone! I give up!

:D

The plot was getting too hard for me to do and it felt more like work than fun. -.- So I have made an executive decison! There will be a new plot! We're not done with the diary entries; no, those will come in from time to time. But this new plot is a lot sillier, stupider, and way more fun! We're bringing Ash into the story! Whooo! And we're leaving the canon to go to the wackiness my imagination comes up with!

This is going to be all **IKARISHIPPING FROM NOW ON.** I wanted to do multiple ships, but that's too hard. -.- So it'll be Ikari, with hinted Pokeshipping just because I can. :D Sorry to all the other shippers, but this plot will be way more fun for me. :/

Enjoy the new plot!  
-RD :D

* * *

Brock scanned the page with great enthusiasm. "Man, I love it when Dawn writes about her Contests! It's so beautiful!" he cried.

"What's so beautiful?"

Brock fell over, flat on his face.

When he got up, he came face-to-face with none other than Ash.

"Brock, is that Dawn's _diary_? Why are you reading it?"

"IT'S NOTHING!" Brock yelled, holding the pink book safely behind his back. Ash raised an eyebrow, not buying it. At all. "Alright…" The older boy gave a defeated sigh. "Yes, this is Dawn's diary. Yes, I'm reading it. Because it is just about the most interesting thing ever."

"Why?"

Brock looked around, eyes narrow. "…Where's Dawn?"

"Out training with Piplup. Why?"

"Ash, do you solemnly promise that you will not tell any living soul any of the information that I am about to divulge to you?"

"Um, sure?"

"Okay… Dawn likes Paul."

Ash fell over, flat on his face.

"What in the world?"

"I know it's hard to believe," Brock said with a nod. "But it's true. Just look at this!"

_I feel like today, that battle, was good for both of them. And as I watched Paul walk away into the sunset, I decided that I really do like him after all._

_Yay!_

Ash could hardly believe his eyes.

"Dawn wrote that after you and Paul had your six-on-six battle at Lake Acuity. She really likes him."

"I don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"What's so great about Paul?" Ash asked. "He's mean to me!"

"I think Dawn must have a thing for bad boys."

"But she's a nice girl!"

"Opposites attract?" Brock offered with a shrug. "You know, I kind of wish I had found Misty's diary. Then I could prove that she likes you back."

"W-who said I like her?" Ash stuttered, his face getting redder with every passing second.

"I did. But it doesn't matter, 'cause you just showed that you do. Now, Ash, since you have seen and heard all of this, you are now my accomplice."

"Accomplice in what?"

"Getting Paul and Dawn together, of course."

"I don't want to do that," Ash said, crossing his arms over his chest. "This is Dawn's business, not ours. We really shouldn't be getting involved."

"But…" Brock began, placing a hand under his chin. "This is love!" He suddenly wore that odd expression he wore whenever he saw a beautiful girl.

"Um, Brock, why do you care if it's not _your _love?"

"Because, Ash. I've been traveling around with you for a while now. In all that time, I still haven't managed to get a girlfriend. If I can't find happiness, someone should be able to!" Ash sighed as his friend rambled on. "Dawn will never be able to confess to Paul on her own. His stone-cold attitude will give her the fear of rejection!"

"Do you know this stuff because you've been rejected so many times?"

"No! I know because I'm experienced in the ways of women."

"You just said you can't get a date."

"ARGH! That's not the point! I know because I just know! She needs help! How happy do you think Dawn would be if she got together with Paul?"

"I don't know," Ash said with a shrug. "Happy, I guess."

"Good! Now, here's the plan."

* * *

Uh oh, they have a plan. D: What will Ash and Brock do next to try to hook Dawn up with her crush?


	11. Chapter 11

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Eleven

.x.x.x.

On their way to Sunnyshore City, our heroes came to a small town along the way. A large crowd was around a square watching a battle. And who was in that battle, my dear reader might ask? Well, none other than Barry!

"Hey, narrator?" Dawn asked.

Yes?

"Can you please stop talking to the readers like they're little kids?"

Oh. Sorry, readers.

Anyway, the group walked over to Barry, whose Empoleon had just pulled out a win over a Mothim.

"Hey, Barry!" Ash called out. The blonde walked over to the three.

"Hey, guys. Did you see that awesome display of training there?" he asked, wiggling an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" said Dawn. "You did really well."

"Hey, I gotta go to the Pokémon Center now. Do you guys wanna come?" Barry asked. The trio nodded, and they all strolled off to the Center.

While waiting for Barry to have his Pokémon healed, Dawn noticed someone out of the corner of her eye.

Someone with purple hair.

"_Omigosh, it's Paul! I think I will die!"_ Her mind was going about twenty million miles per second, and her face was beginning to get red. She tapped Ash on the shoulder, saying, "Look who it is." Ash turned around and then tapped Brock's shoulder, and the older boy allowed a large smile to come to his face. But just as he was about to walk over, Barry raced across the room, nearly running into Paul.

"You're the famous Paul, aren't you?" Barry asked so quickly it was hard to tell what he was saying. "You and me. Let's have a battle!"

"No."

Barry just about fell to the floor.

"WHAT? Why not?"

"Because," said Paul. "My Pokémon are in training for the Sinnoh League. We don't have time for silly battles." Paul began to walk away, but his path was barricaded by Barry.

"Hey, now. You can't leave! Well, I guess I'll have to fine you for blowing me off." Paul simply glared at him. The blonde held out his hand. "$10,000, please."

Dawn, sensing the ensuing fight, grabbed Barry by the scarf and began to drag him away. He protested this with kicking and screaming. "Hey, what are you doing? I still have to fine that guy!" Barry yelled as he was dragged offscreen.

Ash elbowed Brock in the ribs. "Now Barry knows how you feel, eh, Brock?"

"Not funny."

Ash and Brock decided to walk around town, seeing as Dawn and Barry had disappeared to who knows where. On the way, they found an extremely convenient disguise shop, and Brock dragged Ash inside.

From the disguise shop, they had bought six fake mustaches, four fake beards, five pairs of sunglasses, four fedoras, and three trench coats. As Ash said, it couldn't hurt to get extra. They later stuffed the supplies in Brock's bag - which never seemed to run out of room - and came up with a plan.

"We could have him take a compatibility test," Ash said.

"Yeah!" Brock agreed. "We could rig it so Dawn and Paul are most compatible with each other!"

"So is that Plan A?"

"Sure!"

* * *

Don't you just love to break the fourth wall?  
I like how this fic show the whole world just how weird my mind is.

Till next time~


	12. Chapter 12

In this chapter... all heck breaks loose. Have fun!

-RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Twelve

.x.x.x.

"Hey, Dawn, do you wanna fill out this paper for me?" Ash asked happily. Almost too happily… But it was Ash, and he was usually happy. Dawn shrugged and took the paper.

"A-a compatibility test?" Her face got really red. What was this?

"Yeah. I thought it would be fun to take one. Me and Brock are taking it too. Just to see what our type of person is."

"How do you score it?"

"You enter your answers in this website. Me and Brock can do that for you. Just answer those questions." As Ash walked away, he smiled. That had been much easier than he had originally thought. Operation Hook Up Dawn was going great!

Dawn scratched her head with the pencil. That was kind of odd for Ash to ask her to take a test like this. It wasn't like she liked him or anything… she liked Paul. But if Ash knew that, he might get mad… Still, the whole time she filled out that test, Dawn thought of Paul as the kind of boy she looked for. Because he was the only boy she was looking for.

"I feel like Team Rocket," Ash whined as he adjusted the sunglasses on his head. After Dawn had taken her test, they put on their disguises and went to go find Paul. They had no idea where he would be, but they guessed that the best place to look would be the Pokémon Center lobby, because if he was training, he'd come in there eventually. Ash and Brock eventually settled at one of the lobby's tables and just waited for Paul to show up. "How do we know that Paul is gonna come into the Pokémon Center anyway?"

"This stuff always works on TV."

Ash sighed and placed his head on the table. "Paul's gonna recognize- Umph!" Brock clasped his hand over the young Trainer's mouth.

"Shhh! Here he comes!" The two put on their sunglasses and fake mustaches they had bought at the costume store. Behind the glasses, they watched as Paul went up to talk to Nurse Joy, probably to get her to heal one of his Pokémon.

Just as the two were about to get up from their seats, two hands came down on their shoulders.

"AH!" they yelled in surprise. They turned around to see Barry looking at them.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Shh," Ash said. "We're stalking Paul."

"Dawn has a crush on him," Brock added, "and we're trying, hopefully, to hook her up with him."

"Dawn has a crush on Paul?" Barry asked, wide-eyed.

"Yep."

"Well, that makes sense. Paul is fantastic! He's such a strong Trainer that any girl would love him!" Ash and Brock gaped at Barry. That was kinda awkward there. "Hey, can I join you guys?" Barry asked after about thirty seconds of awkward silence.

"Why?" asked Ash, wondering why anyone would - other than himself and Brock, of course - willingly take up such a ridiculous mission.

"Because I wanna help Dawn! Plus, I'm still mad at Paul for blowing me off. I must get revenge!" Barry yelled, pumping a fist.

The two shrugged, thinking revenge was a legitimate enough reason for someone to join them. Brock handed him a pair of sunglasses and a mustache. "Welcome to the club."

After Barry had returned from the bathroom to put on his disguise, Ash and Brock briefed him on the plan.

"We're trying to get Paul to take this compatibility test. That way, he'll see he's meant for Dawn, and she'll see that she's meant for him," Brock explained.

"But we're planning to rig it so they match up if they don't on their own," added Ash. "We don't think we'll have to because they're total opposites, and opposites attract."

"Ah, like magnets," said Barry, stroking his fake mustache. "I agree."

"So, that's the plan."

"Hey, maybe to pay for that fine he owes me, Paul can take the test!" Ash and Brock sweat dropped.

"Um, Barry?" Ask began. "No one takes your fines seriously."

"Ever," Brock added.

"Nope."

"WHAT?" Barry exclaimed. "Aw, man. Guess we can't use that."

"We could say if he takes the test, we'll help homeless Pokémon find homes!"

"Ash, Paul probably doesn't care about homeless Pokémon."

"Oh yeah." Ash placed a hand to his chin and began to think. "We could pay him."

"We could tell him it's a test to see how ready you are for the Sinnoh League!" Barry suggested.

"But it's about love," pointed out Brock.

"We could say that to do well in the league, you need to be able to handle emotional and romantic distractions."

Ash smiled. "You know, that just might work!"


	13. Chapter 13

WAHHH! Author-san is very sorry for not updating for like 5 months... Writing had become more difficult lately, and I've been very busy. :( BUT! This is a double update! Because I couldn't come back after five months and give a chapter as short as this. So I wrote another one, too.

Enjoy the crack!  
-RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Thirteen

.x.x.x.

"Excuse me, sir, but we are representatives from the Sinnoh Pokémon League Trainer's Bureau. We would like you to take this test." On the top of the sheet of paper, the words "What's Your Type" were x-ed out and replaced with the words "Sinnoh Pokémon League Trainer's Bureau Test."

Paul raised an eyebrow at the three men in trench coats.

"What is this?"

"It's a test," Ash said, trying to do his best old man voice and hoping Paul wouldn't recognize him. "We would like you to take it and give it back to us for scoring."

"It may seem romantic, but it's to see if you can handle emotional and romantic distractions while in the Pokémon League," Barry added, stroking his fake mustache. He really loved that thing.

Paul took one good look at the men and one good look at the test.

This was _so_ phony.

"No."

"Aww, come on!" Barry yelled.

"Please!" Brock said. "This test won't only test your readiness for the Sinnoh League, but also test your love life!"

"I don't have a love life," Paul said.

"You don't want to be a loveless loser forever, do you?" Brock yelled.

"I'm eleven years old!"

"SO?"

"How do you even know I'm entering the Sinnoh League?"

The three stood there, at a loss for words. They really had no way to prove that Paul was planning to enter the League, because no one had signed up yet. All of sudden, Ash got an idea.

"Our inside sources told us."

"Yes," Barry added, wiggling his eyebrows.

Okay. This was getting kinda creepy.

"Alright," Paul said. "I'll take your stupid test." The guys began to cheer. "But you have to leave the room first." Brock, Ash, and Barry nodded before walking in the direction of the bathroom.

Once they were gone, Paul threw the test in the nearest trash can and walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"Idiots."

* * *

Semi-parody of how they always keep the ages the same in Pokemon... I think they should be older, but it's a kids' show. xP


	14. Chapter 14

Goodness gracious... what possessed me to write this?

It's about to get crazy up in here.  
-RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Fourteen

.x.x.x.

As Paul walked down the streets of Sunnyshore City, his mind was still on the trio of weirdos who had gone up to him earlier.

"Love life," he said with a scoff. "Give me a break." As he continued on, he spotted a head of navy blue hair. He only knew like five people with navy blue hair, and four of them were visiting the moon, so that only left one person it could be:

Dawn.

Ash and Brock's little friend with Piplup and the beanie. The one with the high voice. The one who was pretty, but unbelievably annoying and-

Wait.

Did Paul just think she was pretty?

Pssh, naw!

Okay, maybe a little.

But it didn't really matter, because she and her Piplup and her beanie came bouncing over in his direction.

"Hi, Paul! Have you seen Ash? Or Brock?" Why in the world did it sorta-kinda-maybe bother Paul that she was looking for those other guys?

Maybe it was because she's pretty.

"Shut up, mind," Paul mumbled. "No, I haven't seen them. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go train with my Pokémon."

"Can I come?"

"Why would you want to come?" he shot back.

"I want to help!" Her eyes began sparkling.

"_Here we go,"_ thought Paul.

"Please let me come! I'm real good at battling!" she pleaded.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Why do you even want to go?"

"I need to train my Pokémon too! The Contest season may be over for this year, but we still need to practice. Plus… I'm bored," she admitted.

It really couldn't hurt.

Or could it?

Paul began to feel an odd premonition comin' on, but he said to Dawn, "Guess it can't hurt." Her face brightened and she walked behind him, smiling the whole way.

"Man, we lost him!" Ash exclaimed as he walked out of the Pokémon Center. The group had taken off their lame disguises and were wondering two things:

1) Where had Paul gone?

2) Where the heck was Dawn?

They had lost the two most important parts of Operation HUD (Hook Up Dawn) and were feeling rather like failures when Barry yelled out something.

"Hey! Operation HUD! It sounds like 'hood!'" Ash and Brock stared blankly as Barry said, "We up in the HUD!" and began to beat box poorly.

"Anyway," Brock said after the random moment had passed. "We need to find either Dawn or Paul. Knowing Paul, he's probably training somewhere."

"TRAINING!" Ash grabbed his head. "I've spent so much time on this HUD thing that I forgot to go train for the Sinnoh League!" He began to do a little panic dance. "Uh, see you guys later! Come on, Pikachu!"

As Brock and Barry watched Ash and Pikachu run off into the sunset, Brock said, "When did it get late? I thought it was like.. noon." Suddenly, the sky seemed to notice that too and quit being orange and red. "Thank you, Sky," said Brock.

Now that everything was normal and the sky was blue, Barry wrapped and arm around Brock's shoulder. "Guess it's just you and me in the HUD now."

Brock face-palmed.

* * *

Cracky fic is cracky.

I think crack-fics are a great peek in an author's mind. Mine is obviously messed up.

Welp, see you later.


	15. Chapter 15

Hi, guys! Author-san is on the late side again, but I've been very busy! My school did the _Wizard of Oz_ for our school musical, so practices started taking up my Saturdays (the main day I have to write). And then I had finals. But now, school's out, and I present you with not one, but TWO new chapters!

Enjoy~  
-RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Fifteen

.x.x.x.

Barry and Brock had stopped for an Icee break.

Because everyone needs an Icee.

Anyway.

Barry and Brock were enjoying their Icees when they watched a familiar duo go by. One had purple hair. One had blue.

Brock smiled at Barry. "Operation HUD is back on!"

In an attempt to be stealthy, Brock and Barry followed Dawn and Paul to a forest clearing.

"What is this?" Barry whisper-yelled as they settled behind a hopefully inconspicuous bush. "They're ALONE!"

"Go, Pachirisu!" Dawn called out, throwing her Poké ball into the air with much enthusiasm. At the same time, Paul sent out his Electivire.

"Is that even a fair battle?" Brock asked skeptically.

Apparently it wasn't, because in a matter of seconds, Electivire had fired off a Thunder attack that sent Pachirisu blasting off in a Team Rocket-like fashion.

"No!" Dawn called after her Pokémon as it comically flew into the woods. Paul was about to apologize for blowing up her Pokémon when a fuming Dawn turned to face him. "YOU!" she screamed. "This is all _your_ fault! Now Pachirisu's lost!" She stomped a foot down, making the ground shake. Paul briefly wondered how that was possible, but he didn't wonder for too long, because Dawn's accusation had put him on the defensive.

"It's not my fault!" he yelled.

"Yeah, so it's _my_ fault your Pokémon is a giant powerhouse that blew up my Pokémon?" she asked, still fuming.

"Is is _my_ fault your Pokémon is so weak?" he shot back. Normally, he'd brush something like this off. He wasn't sure why he was letting Dawn get to him so much.

"Ooh, tension," Barry whispered in the bushes.

"I can't believe Ash is missing this!" Brock exclaimed.

"UGH!" Dawn cried. "Come on," she said, grabbing Paul by the wrist. "We're going to look for Pachirisu."

Barry and Brock popped out of the bush. "Ooh, this is getting good!" said Brock. "Let's follow them!"

"Yeah!" Barry heartily agreed. "Goin' into the HUD!"


	16. Chapter 16

Next chapter~

Enjoy!  
-RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Sixteen

.x.x.x.

"Great, we're lost." Paul groaned and resisted the urge to punch something. "You have a horrible sense of direction."

"Shut up!" Dawn yelled. "I know Pachirisu must be _somewhere_ around here!" She looked around worriedly before yelling out, "Pachirisu! Pachirisu, where are you?" When no answer came back, Dawn sighed. "Well, I guess I'll just have to use my special Pachirisu locating device."

Paul's eyes bugged out of his head. "You HAVE that?"

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly as she produced a blue and white technical thingamajigger from her bag. "The fourth generation one."

"You had that the whole time and didn't use it?" Paul asked incredulously.

"Yep."

Paul tried his hardest not to whack Dawn in the face.

"Well," she said. "Here goes!" She pressed a large red button, and the thingamajigger came on. She stared at it for a moment before saying, "That's weird…"

"What?"

"If I'm reading this correctly, it says Pachirisu is right above us…" They both confusedly looked up.

"AHHHH!" Dawn yelled as her Pachirisu ninja jumped out of the tree the two were standing under. In fright, she had jumped up from her standing position into a much more comfortable one: in Paul's arms.

Or at least it was comfortable until he dropped her.

"What was that for?" Dawn demanded as she rubbed her now sore backside. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and she was almost positive Pachirisu was laughing at her.

"Don't do that," Paul said as he looked away. Even from the bushes, Brock and Barry could tell he was blushing, too.

So they did a little happy dance.

"Uh-huh, go HUD, uh-huh, go HUD~" Brock sang.

"Operation HUD go, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!" sang Barry.

"We _have _to tell Ash later."

"Of course!"

"Come on," said Paul, still not looking at Dawn. "Let's go back." She simply nodded before picking up her Pachirisu and going with him. Even though she acted angry and refused to talk to Paul on their walk back, she was fan-girl squealing inside.

* * *

Hooray for our first big HUD moment! There will be many more to come!


	17. Chapter 17

Hi, guys! I think you'll like these next chapters, epsecially the next one. :D I've started on chapter 19, and keeping with the double update thing, I'll post again when 20 is done. And there's good news! At the end of this week, I'll have to get a laptop for school! I'll be able to do my writing on there from now on and not have to share a computer! Hehe! My brother used the computer a lot this summer, so I didn't have my usual amount of writing time. But now, I'll have more! :D

Yay~  
-RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Seventeen

.x.x.x.

"Really?" Ash exclaimed. "I missed all THAT?"

"Yeah!" said Barry. "It was great!"

"We're beginning to think that Paul might like Dawn after all," added Brock. "He wouldn't look at her after she jumped into his arms. I think he was embarrassed."

"Now THAT'S what I really wanted to see," Ash said, laughing. "Seeing Paul embarrassed would be almost as good as beating him in a Pokémon battle!"

"So, now what do we do?" Barry asked.

"Well," Brock began, "I think we should wait and see what happens next. We might not have to do too much if they can get together on their own!"

…

"They can't get together on their own." The three were watching Paul and Dawn, who were sitting at opposite ends of the Pokémon Center lobby. Occasionally, one would look at the other one, but look away before the other noticed. Contrary to Brock's earlier statement, the HUD members realized that those two would need some help. Big time.

"What should we do?" Ash asked. "I want to focus on training, but I can't when those two are being totally hopeless."

"We've got to take more action," Brock said firmly. "Sneaking around them showed us that Paul might have feelings for Dawn, but we can't sneak around forever. Dawn is too afraid of rejection to make a move."

"Wow, Brock!" exclaimed Barry. "You sound like a love guru!"

Brock smiled smugly. "Well, of course. I know lots about love. For example, my heart belongs to Nurse Joy! Currently." Ash rolled his eyes, but Barry still looked rather impressed. "So, here's the plan."

Ash sauntered up to the table where Paul was sitting and sat down. "Hi, Paul," he said with a smile.

"What do you want?" came the quick and harsh reply.

Ash scoffed. "Still the same, huh?"

"What? Do you expect my personality to change after just a few episodes?"

"Maybe."

They stared blankly at each other.

While Paul and Ash stared blankly at each other, Barry and Brock were poring over Dawn's diary, trying to come up with a good idea for a date. Although Dawn had written many things in her diary about Paul, none of them were very… ¿como se dice? Helpful.

There were things like:

_I really like Paul, but I'm so scared. What would he think? What will ASH think? Ash would probably faint if he knew I like Paul…_

Honestly, they were surprised Ash hadn't fainted yet.

_Maybe someday I'll get so good at battling that I can beat Paul! Then he'll definitely accept me as his girlfriend!_

He probably would.

_One day, Paul and I are gonna have a big house by the sea! We're gonna live there and then we're gonna make babies! Cool, fashionable babies!_

That was just too much information.

Brock and Barry had mixed feelings about the previous snippets from Dawn's diary. They sat in odd thinking poses until a light bulb appeared above Barry's head.

"Wait a second," he said, quickly standing up. "Why don't we just _ask_ Dawn what kind of date she likes? We're not going to get anything out of the descriptions of the ten fashionable babies," he said as he made a face.

"Yeah, we should!" Brock explained. "I'll get a notepad and we-"

"Hello?" a voice asked as the door opened. Barry and Brock had looks halfway between horror and surprise as Dawn stepped into the room.

After thirty seconds, she spoke. "Why the heck are you guys looking at me like that?" Barry and Brock snapped their mouths shut, but they knew something was wrong. Dawn looked angry, and they had never heard her speak in such a way before.

"Ah, Dawn?" Barry asked timidly. "What's wrong?"

"Has anyone ever told you that love hurts, Barry?" she asked.

"Possibly."

"I'm telling you right now!" Dawn said with a huff before she jumped on the bed and buried herself with the cover. Brock and Barry stood with mouths agape as Dawn began to scream out her frustration. They thought two things at that moment.

1. Their hearing may have been permanently damaged.

2. Dawn _really_ needed some help with her love life.


	18. Chapter 18

You guys talked me into this chapter. You'll see what I mean really soon.

I loved writing this, so you'd better enjoy it with me! xD  
-RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Eighteen

.x.x.x.

"Well, first we need to prove that Paul has a heart, 'cause I'm not so sure about that." The three HUD members and Pikachu sat in a circle on the floor of their Pokémon Center room.

"He'd better have a heart! Poor Dawn!" Barry exclaimed. Dawn was currently out, explaining that she was upset and wanted to see the ocean. The boys didn't question her decision, knowing that she was upset. "She's so sad!"

"I know, I know," said Brock. "We have to act even more quickly than I thought we would."

"Yeah. But how are we even going to get through to Paul?" Ash asked skeptically. Pikachu nodded in agreement. Paul was a very closed-in person. No one seemed to know him very well.

"If we can't get to know him better, we'll have to find someone who already knows him…" Barry mumbled.

"I've got it!" exclaimed Brock. "Let's call Reggie!"

"Yeah!" Ash pumped a fist. "No one knows Paul better than Reggie!"

"Let's go call him now!"

The three HUD members and Pikachu, who was currently in the process of being inducted into the HUD, ran downstairs to find a video phone. Unfortunately, the only operational phone was being used by a woman who was talking rather loudly to a close friend of hers. It was about an hour before the HUD members burst through the door of the small phone room.

"Call him, call him!" Ash yelled. He had grown very impatient during their long wait.

"Pika pika!"

Brock stared blankly at the phone before asking, "Does anyone know his number?"

Ash fell over anime style.

"I do!" Barry exclaimed, digging a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Pikachu pika pikachu pi pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked, which roughly translated to, "You keep Reggie's phone number in your pocket?"

"Maybe," said Barry as he handed Brock the paper.

"Stalker," Ash muttered under his breath.

"Hey! I heard that!" Barry yelled. "And aren't we all stalkers now? We run around following Dawn and Paul all day like we have nothing better to do with our lives!" The other three shared a look.

Their lives were really sad.

Brock dialed the number, and after a few rings, someone picked up.

"Oh, Brock!" Reggie said as his face came up on the video phone screen. "I haven't seen you guys in a while. How are you?"

"We're fine, Reggie. But Dawn isn't fine. That's why we called you," said Brock.

"What's wrong with Dawn?"

"She's…" Barry began.

"She…" Ash said.

"Pika," said Pikachu.

"She's got a serious case of heartbreak," Brock finished. The rest of the HUD nodded gravely.

"Um, okay," said Reggie. "Who broke her heart?"

"See, that's why we called you," said Ash. "Paul did."

The HUD members spent the next fifteen minutes or so telling Reggie the whole story: from when Brock first found Dawn's diary up to where she went to stare at the ocean. Of course, they put in all the good parts, such as when Dawn and Paul had an interaction and how Dawn drew hearts in her diary around Paul's name. They also told Reggie of the Pachirisu incident, and that Dawn and Paul wouldn't even meet each other's eyes now.

"Wow," Reggie said when the group finished their story. "That's horrible! They like each other but they can't admit it?"

"Yeah," Barry answered sadly. "And if something doesn't happen soon, Dawn might give up on him, and then they'll never get together."

"Well, I'll do my best to help."

"REALLY?" the HUD exclaimed.

"Of course!" came Reggie's happy reply. "Paul needs some excitement in his life. If all he ever does is train Pokémon all day, he'll be old and alone when he grows up. Dawn has a lot of spunk. She'll be good for him."

"Thank you!" yelled Barry, hugging the video phone screen. "I love you!"

"You're welcome?" Reggie said awkwardly.

"Reggie, we would like to accept you into our Operation Hook Up Dawn club," Brock said. "Will you join the HUD?"

Upon hearing the silly name, Reggie laughed. "Sure. I've always liked Dawn. I'll help her out!"

"YAY!" the HUD exclaimed together.

"Now," Brock said with a slightly mischievous voice. "Tell us about Paul."


	19. Chapter 19

People actually like my nonsense. Thus, I am obligated to write more. :)

Enjoy!  
- RD :)

* * *

Dawn's Diary

Chapter Nineteen

.x.x.x.

"Scarf Dude to Pika-Pal. Pika-Pal, do you copy?"

"I hear ya, Scarf Dude. What about Bronix?"

"Bronix is here. I have visual on the HUD."

Apparently, after their little excursion in the woods, Paul realized that he could actually stand Dawn better than he could stand Ash or Brock. Because of that, he didn't mind her sitting with him in the Pokémon Center as they discussed battle strategies. To Paul's surprise, Dawn wasn't _completely _stupid and could actually carry on a good conversation. He could hardly believe it, but after having had such a weird day a few days before, the fact that Dawn was interesting was the smallest of the oddities he had encountered lately.

Of course, if Paul had known the extent of the HUD operation, he might have added a lot of things to the list of oddities in his life.

It hadn't been too bad when Dawn had walked up to him. Though they had only looked at each other awkwardly the day before, she actually made a move to interact with him. That was a shock by itself, but the bigger shock was what came afterward. She just politely asked if they could talk, and she didn't run her mouth as much. She even _listened_.

One odd thing he didn't know about was the fact that Brock was hiding poorly behind a potted plant and spying on him with binoculars. The HUD had moved into its next phase. With the plethora of information that the HUD had received, courtesy of their newest member, Reggie, they could make a better and more accurate plan for getting Paul to like Dawn.

Their information was something like this: they knew that Dawn liked Paul, and they knew that Paul was capable of liking Dawn, and at least didn't seem to dislike her. According to Reggie, Paul had been a very happy kid, but family complications had ruined that entirely. Then, Reggie had become a Trainer, but had given up when he reached an obstacle he couldn't beat. Paul had been so disappointed and angry that he became the way he was now. The hope that Reggie and the rest of the HUD had was that someday, Paul would be able to get back to the way he was before and be happy, preferably with Dawn.

But of course, this hope could not come true by any normal means, since the members of the HUD were totally ridiculous people. It was possible, seeing that Dawn and Paul were talking now, that Operation HUD might happen on its own. But that would not be accepted by the HUD members, because they were _way _too into it now. Rather than being reasonable, they liked to use methods of espionage and corny disguises better.

Speaking of corny disguises, Brock was wearing a _ninja_ suit. The rest of the HUD members were as well, including Pikachu but not Reggie, and it was a big part of their plan, which was about to start in,

3. "Bronix, are you ready?"

2. "Ready, Pika-Pal. Is Scarf Dude in position?"

1. "All set! Let's get this show on the road!"

Now.

Brock took off running for Dawn and Paul's table. Just as fast as he had shown up, he was gone. But not without Piplup!

"Thief!" Dawn screamed. "Give me back my Piplup!" She got up to chase after the Piplup-snatcher, but she experienced a temporary lapse in coordination and she tripped and fell.

Paul sighed as he looked at the utterly pitiful-looking girl on the ground before him. "Come on," he said, offering her a hand up. "Let's go."

"You're going to help me?" Dawn asked in surprise as her little Paul-loving self was squealing on the inside.

"It's no big deal," he said, looking away and trying to be cool.

"Okay."

Thus, the two took off to solve the Case of the Piplup-Snatcher – Dawn made up the name. And even though her most beloved companion had just been stolen, she couldn't help but feel excited.


	20. Chapter 20

Don't worry, readers. We'll get a more in depth version of Paul's backstory later. For now, just enjoy the nonsense.

Enjoy, lovelies.  
- RD :)

* * *

"Haha!" Brock said as he made his speedy escape from the Pokémon Center. The second phase of Operation HUD was in full swing! Everything was going great!

Or, it _was_ until Piplup fired a Bubble Beam attack right into Brock's face.

"GAH!" Brock screamed as he tried to move out of the way of the penguin Pokémon's attack. "Piplup, it's me! Brock!" He took off his mask, and Piplup immediately relaxed. "Look, Piplup, I'm sorry we had to take you away from Dawn. But this is part of our plan to get her with Paul!"

When Piplup considered his Trainer's happiness, there was no way he could say no. So, he let Brock carry him away into the – once again – incorrectly-timed sunset.

But soon, the sky fixed itself and went back to blue. "That was weird," Dawn muttered upon noticing the strange weather change.

She and Paul were searching around the Pokémon Center while Paul's Honchcrow circled the air in search of Piplup.

"Do you have one of those locator things?" Paul asked.

"Huh?"

"You know. When we were in the forest and you used your locator to find your Pokémon. Do you have another one of those?"

Dawn face-palmed. "Man! Why didn't I buy that one I saw last time we went to the mall? I'm sorry, Paul, but I don't have one for a Piplup."

"Whatever," Paul replied with a shrug. Usually he was very impatient, but for some strange reason, he didn't mind that they weren't necessarily going to find Piplup anytime soon. He wasn't sure why he felt like that or why he always ended up searching for Dawn's Pokémon, but he decided not to question the moment too much and just go with it. He almost wanted to smile. Alright, that would've been a little _too_ OOC for the story to continue, he admitted, but he almost wanted to.

"YEAH!" Barry yelled as he and Brock high-fived. "I can't believe that worked!"

"Well, we owe some of our success to Piplup. He's joined the Dark Side."

"Pip piplup!"

"Good!" Barry exclaimed. "Because we have cookies!" Out of nowhere, Barry produced a plate of chocolate chip cookies and Brock and Piplup began to munch contentedly.

"Hey, is Ash in position yet? It's about time."

"Yeah, he should be. He's got Roserade with him, too, so all should go according to Operation HUD!" Barry said with the goofiest of smiles on his face.

Meanwhile, Ash struggled to pull himself up onto the Pokémon Center roof.

"Geez. You'd think they would've made ninja suits with powers built in or something," he huffed. "What I wouldn't do for ninja powers right now!"

"Pika!" Pikachu said in agreement.

Once they were finally on top of the building, Ash proudly glanced at their surroundings. The plan was perfect. They had even gotten Nurse Joy in on it, so they didn't have to worry about getting mistaken for actual Pokémon thieves. Naturally, Brock had to be rejected and dragged away by Croagunk like five times before they succeeded, but it had all worked out in the end.

"Hey, look!" Ash yelled when Dawn and Paul were in sight. "Alright, Barry's Roserade, do your stuff!" Roserade whipped up a Razor Leaf attack.

"HEY!" Ash hollered before realizing he still sounded like himself. "Oh." He grabbed the voice-changing thingy that they had bought from the Convenient Spy Store. "Young Trainers!" he said loudly. Dawn and Paul looked up at him and the leaf storm that surrounded him. "If you want your Piplup back, go to the old lighthouse. You will find your next clue there!"

"Oh, no!" Dawn yelled.

"Here we go," Paul muttered under his breath as he was dragged off on the insane Piplup rescue mission.

* * *

Yeah, this is so odd. But I love it.


End file.
